Slater on ‘grinding it out’ for Derbyshire at Glamorgan

Derbyshire look set for a first innings lead against Glamorgan at the end of the second day’s play of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two match at St. Helen’s.

Fifties for Derbyshire duo Ben Slater (52) and Alex Hughes (67 not out) have helped thier side to 207-3, a deficit of 76, after Glamorgan posted a first inning stotal of 283 all out.

Slater said: “It’s nice to get a score. The wicket’s pretty slow, so I think scoring quickly will be tough going. We will have to grind it out. Once you get past the in-field, you get value for your shots.

“It’s key to get a first-innings lead and I think we’re in a good position to do that. If possible a three-figure lead and more, we want to cash in now.

“It’s nice for Alex (Hughes) to get a big score, he’s been wanting one for a while now, he’s been working hard in the nets and hopefully he can kick on.”

Glamorgan were indebted to Andrew Salter and the tail enders, who added 108 in the pre-lunch session, with Salter scoring an unbeaten 72, and the debutant Prem Sisodiya a useful 38. Sisodiya should have been dismissed on 24, but Alex Hughes dropped a simple catch at short leg.

The eighth wicket pair put on 56 – the third successive half century stand in the innings – before Sisodiya was bowled by Tony Palladino, giving the Derbyshire seamer figures of 5-69, his third five for against the Welsh County.

Lukas Carey then struck a breezy 28, which included two sixes on to the adjoining Mumbles Road, and when last man Michael Hogan was run out, Salter had scored his runs from103 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes.

Derbyshire had eight overs to bat before lunch and at the interval, the visitors had reached 28 without loss, with Ben Slater and Harvey Hosein the not out batsmen.

Slater and Hosein – playing in his first Championship game of the season – played watchfully against an accurate Glamorgan attack, with Hosein fortunate to survive some uneasy moments against Hogan, who passed the outside edge four times in one over.

Slater, who is enjoying a productive Championship season, reached a composed half century, while Hosein, who scored 35, played on to Andrew Salter’s off spin in the 34th over. Salter then took his second wicket in the following over, when Slater holed out at backward point.

Resuming after tea on 104-2, Wayne Madsen and Hughes frustrated the Glamorgan attack as they continued to chip away at the deficit. Glamorgan will have some concerns over David Lloyd, who left the field, having pulled up mid-way through his fourth over. He was replaced in the field by former Glamorgan fast bowler and current assistant coach, David Harrison as Roman Walker was already on.

A bowler down, Glamorgan turned to Jack Murphy who, at that stage, had two first-class wickets to his name. He has, in recent seasons, converted from left-arm seam bowling to opening the batting. He duly claimed his first Championship – and third first-class – wicket, as he had Madsen caught by Kiran Carlson at short mid-wicket for 41.